


The Frolic Architecture of the Snow

by abigail89



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Romantic Comedy, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-25
Updated: 2012-12-25
Packaged: 2017-11-22 08:57:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/608060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abigail89/pseuds/abigail89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What You’re in For: Prompt #21. Jim and Bones spend a holiday week in a cabin—nothing but domestic bliss. Riiiight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Frolic Architecture of the Snow

**Author's Note:**

> This story is dedicated to all y’all, all who love Jim and Bones, who love their deep friendship, their bromance, their abiding love for each other. Thank you for making [](http://space-wrapped.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://space-wrapped.livejournal.com/)**space_wrapped** an awesome holiday tradition in our corner of ST fandom.

_And when his hours are numbered, and the world_  
Is all his own, retiring, as he were not,  
Leaves, when the sun appears, astonished Art  
To mimic in slow structures, stone by stone,  
Built in an age, the mad wind’s night-work,  
The frolic architecture of the snow.  
\--“The Snow-Storm” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

*~*

 

The truck comes to a skidding halt in a snowy gravel parking area. Jim Kirk sets the brake and looks through the windshield. “Well, at least it’s not snowing anymore.”

"Jim, when you said a cabin in a remote location, I thought you meant a cabin on a deserted island in the South Pacific,” Dr. Leonard McCoy says acerbically. “Not in the middle of fucking woods where wolves would gladly eat us for lunch when we freeze our asses off because we lose power and can’t get out because of the goddamn snow!” Leonard is in full-blown rant mode, and had been since they’d arrived at the transport station in Kalispell, Montana.

"Jesus, Bones, if you'd stop bitching for just a minute and look around you'd see--"

“See what? That we’re in the middle of nowhere? That we left civilization five miles back at the turn-off of the paved road onto the bumpiest goddamn road I’ve ever had the displeasure of riding on,” Leo says. “And it’s cold, Jim. It’s really fucking cold.”

Jim rubs his forehead. “Look, you wanted to have an old fashioned Christmas. ‘I want to get away from it all, Jim!’ you said.”

“I was also drunk when I said all that.”

Jim wants to pound his head against the door. “No. You weren’t. You were perfectly sober when I was asking you about where to go, and what size cabin we needed. You said you wanted a low-technology holiday, doing it old school.”

Leo looks off into the snow-drenched woods. “Um…I did?”

“Yeah, you did.” Jim sighs.

Ever since they’d returned to Earth four months ago, Leo had been going through—something. He’s still the same grumpy, brilliant physician and researcher. His seminar on trans-species infectious disease treatment is the hottest seat at Starfleet Academy; he’s in demand all over the Federation for surgical consults. But what he really wants to do is just spend time with his daughter and his husband. Spend as much time on _terra firma_ , eating real food, not that “replicated crap” they so often have to resort to when the fresh stores run out. Leo had taken great delight in grocery shopping, much to Jim’s surprise, and then spent evenings cooking, much to Jim’s delight.

“Well, we’ve got this place for as long as we want,” Jim says, opening the door. “And for as short as we want. The long-term forecast is for a warming trend and only a little more snow. Come on! It’ll be fun.”

Leo gives him snort and a dirty look, but gets out of the truck. “Dammit, man, it’s really cold. Oh, and look. Our house is at the top of a fucking mountain.”

It’s really not, just fifty meters or so up a slight incline. “Bones, how long has it been since you’ve seen real snow?”

Leo goes around to the bed to unload his gear and the boxes of food they’d purchased in Kalispell. “I don’t know. Last time we were on Andoria.”

Oh. Jim had forgotten about that. “Well, okay, but this is the real deal for us, right? I mean I always liked it when it snowed at home in Iowa for Christmas. Loved how it cleared the air and made everything look much better than dead and brown.” Jim looks around.

“Is that Glacier Park over there?” Leo asks.

“It is. Best park in the system, I think,” Jim says. “Probably can’t get into it but we can see it.”

“I like Yellowstone best,” Leo says.

“We were lucky to get this place so close to the holiday. We’ll go to Yellowstone in spring.” Jim lifts one of the large provision boxes out of the truck. “Shit! We bought a helluva lot of food.”

“We may need it if we get snowed in,” Leo says. “And you’re gonna haul both of them up that hill.”

Jim shakes his head. The trail to the cabin follows the tree-lined side of the hill. A plume of white smoke blows out of the chimney.

“Hey, look! Someone got a fire going for us,” Jim says. “It’ll be warm in there, I’ll bet.”

“It better be or else I’ll be hitting the bourbon first thing.”

“You’ll hit it first thing anyway,” Jim replies, laughing.

Just as Jim's laughter trails off, he disappears into a snow bank off the side of the trail.

"Jim?!"

Leo drops his bag. “JIM?!”

“Bones!”

A flailing arm appears. Leo lunges for it and tugs the snow-covered captain up and out of a steep drop off. "Holy shit, Jim! You were saying not to bitch about the snow. Really?"

Jim shakes off like a golden retriever, but is still covered in a fine sheen of snow, his smile irrepressible. “Wow! Gotta watch for the edge of bank. It’s kind of a long way down.”

“You’d think they could’ve put the path up to the cabin a little further in, ya know,” Leo grouses, brushing the snow off Jim’s backpack. “Come on, gotta get you warmed up.”

“I’m fine, Bones, really,” Jim says. “Oh, look! It’s starting to snow again.” He lifts his face to the softly flurry-filled sky. “I’m glad we did this.”

“The man takes a tumble off into nowhere, gets covered in snow, and he’s glad. Jim, you’re amazing.”

The cabin sits on the top of a slight hill overlooking a stream, woods and in the distance the peaks of the northern Rockies of Glacier National Park. There are rocking chairs, snow-covered, and a large pile of firewood on a wide porch. Jim inputs the access code on the lock and opens the door. A blast of warm air hits him in the face; light from a nearby lamp is inviting. “This is nice, Bones.”

Leo enters and throws his bag on the floor, looking around. “Huh, it is.”

A fire burns brightly in a woodstove, one that looks new. The living area has several comfortable looking sofas and chairs with light sources near for good reading spots. The kitchen—the kitchen…

“Wow, look at this, Bones!” Jim says. “This is a really great kitchen. Gas stove, a huge fridge.” His face is lit up. “This is gonna be fun!”

*

Leo starts to feel the pall of doom lift from his spirits. Between the bumpy ride and the snow, he had wondered if Jim knew what he’d signed them up for. He knows he’s been in total grumpy bastard mode for a month or more. When the _Enterprise_ had docked for a total overhaul back in September, he thought they’d be doing more shore-leave than work. But Chief Medical Officer Phil Boyce had put him to work almost immediately teaching; then came more and more requests for consults, on- and off-world. Jim had been re-assigned for short training runs on other vessels. Most of the senior crew had taken on other assignments. As they were all scattered throughout Federation space, Leo had wondered if Starfleet was trying to break up the best crew in the fleet. It’s made him anxious and somewhat depressed over the past few months. Jim is here, and has assured him he’s going to be around for the next several weeks. And while Joanna wasn’t able to join them for Christmas, being off-world with her mother and step-father, she’ll be in San Francisco for Jim’s 40th birthday next week.

He walks through the kitchen and down a short hall. There’s at least three bedrooms, one of which has bunkbeds. He turns, and faces a room with a magnificent king-sized bed, a small fireplace, and a large picture window with a fabulous view. “Wow, Jim! You done good!” he says.

Jim comes and snuggles up to his back. “See? Told you.”

“Yeah, you did.” Leonard takes Jim’s hands that are hugging his chest. “Jim, I’m sorry I’ve been so cranky lately.”

“Hey, you’re tired. Hell, I’m tired,” Jim says, kissing the side of neck. “Starfleet promised us time off, and we haven’t exactly gotten much.”

“No. Still, I’ve taken it out on you, and I’m sorry.”

“Bones.” Jim comes to stand in front of him; he’s puts his hands on his beloved husband’s face. “Bones,” he says gently, “I know what’s going on.”

Leo smiles and tips forward to kiss Jim’s lips. “Really? Have you picked up some mind-reading skills along the way?”

“No, but I do know you pretty well. You’re thinking I haven’t fought hard enough for us, for my entire crew. That it looks like Starfleet is trying to send my senior team to other ships or assignments, and this is just not true. It’s a new personnel rotation they’re trying out. They want us to help train other crews in group dynamics. Uhura’s been doing a lot of training via sub-space, so when we docked, Starfleet saw fit to send some of us out. You weren’t included because Boyce had his own agenda for you.”

“Yeah, he has.”

Jim smiles and kisses him. “You’re too fucking good. It’s not just Boyce; it’s everyone in the Federation. You wouldn’t believe the number of requests I get for your expertise, more than you ever see in your own inbox.”

Leo is silent, so Jim continues. “I tell them all to fuck off. You’re our CMO, and we’re not giving you up.” He kisses Leo’s ear, and whispers, “Can’t live without you, Bones.”

Leo finds Jim’s lips and kisses him with everything he’s worth. How could he have ever doubted Jim’s loyalty, to not just him, but everyone on board? He pulls Jim closer, needing to feel the warmth of his body, needing to let Jim know just how much he needs him, because he’s damn sure he cannot exist, in space or on Earth, without him.

Jim walks them back to the bed, and they fall onto it, then scramble across the wide expanse to lay fully on it. “Want you, Bones. Always.” And Jim kisses him again.

Leo loves the weight of Jim on him. But he’s also aware of the incredibly comfortable bed they’re on. He sighs as Jim deepens their kiss with tongue and presses him into the down cover.

He hums his approval and his comfort. Jim smiles and pulls back, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “What?”

“Love what you’re doing, and this bed,” Leo says as he cants his hips back and forth, rubbing their erections across the other.

Jim pushes on the bed. “This is nice. Better than the one in officers’ quarters.”

“That’s what I mean,” Leo says, winding his arms around Jim’s neck and waist. “So comfortable.”

Jim straddles Leo, sitting up. He strips off his sweater and t-shirt. “Warm in here.”

“Warm under you, too,” Leo agrees, smiling.

“Let’s get you out of your clothes then.”

Leo’s sweater and undershirts join Jim’s on the floor; the wriggle out of jeans and shoes and socks until they’re down to boxers. A shiver runs through Jim.

“Cold?” Leo asks, chafing Jim’s arms with his hands.

“Nah, just. . .excited. Excited to see you smiling again,” he says rather shyly.

Leo sighs. “I’m sorry. I promise, no more bitching.”

Jim laughs. “I love you, but no, that ain’t happening.”

“Probably so. Still,” Leo says, “this was a wonderful idea, to get away from San Francisco and all the Starfleet political bullshit and responsibilities. Thank you.” Leo pulls Jim down into his arms. “You _are_ chilled!”

Leo sits up, reaches back, and pulls down the covers. “Flannel sheets. Great! Get in.”

“You won’t have to ask me twice,” Jim says. “Oh, god, that’s nice.”

“It’s about to get nicer.” Leo slides his hand into Jim’s boxers to grasp and stroke him.

Jim’s eyes roll. “Yeah, like that.” Jim does the same for Leo.

They part briefly to take off their boxers then press firmly up against each other, rubbing their cocks together. “Where’s the lube?” Jim says in between kisses.

“In my bag.” Leo thinks. “It’s in the other room.”

“Fuck that. Too far,” Jim says. “Want this now.”

Jim quickly pulls on his dick, milking the now purpling head; the trickle of pre-come coats the tips of his fingers. “It’s enough,” he says. He takes their cocks again, his hand slipping easier around the velvety soft skin.

“Yeah, Jim,” Leo whispers as he bites on Jim’s neck, then licks the sore spot. “Yeah.”

Jim controls the pressure and heat on their members; Leo kisses Jim’s eyes and lips, while pinching and twisting his nipples, just the way Jim likes it. It takes only a few more minutes before Jim is gasping, throwing his head back.

“Yeah, Jim, let go,” Leo says.

“You, too. Come on, Bones.”

“Right with you.”

Jim’s hand speeds up; Leo shifts so that Jim can free his other hand to pull Leo’s hair. Leo moans as Jim roughly pulls his hair so that his neck is bared. Jim attacks the prominent cord, biting down hard. “Come for me, Bones.”

Leo feels the tingle of impending release, and encourages Jim to bite harder; he’s twisting Jim’s nipple with as much force as he can. Jim gives a strangled cry and then Leo feels the eruption between them. It’s all he needs to tip over into orgasm, relieved and joyous. He actually laughs.

Jim keeps the pulling and tugging going. “Stop, stop,” Leo says. “’That’s all I can take. Stop.”

He does. Jim licks his hand, the one covered in their combined essences. “Mmm, good,” he murmurs, leaning in to kiss Leo with tender passion.

They exchange quiet kisses for a long while. Outside, the snow comes down; the light dims as more clouds move over the area.

“Mmm…you know, I think we left the provisions boxes in the truck,” Leo says, kissing Jim once more. “If we don’t get them, there’ll be no dinner.”

Jim sighs and rolls over. “Fuck. Well, I suppose we’ll have to get dressed and go get them. They’re too heavy for just one person.”

Leo gets out of bed. “Vacation’s over,” he grouses and makes for the bathroom.

*~*

"Think you overdid it on the cabin. You expecting the entire crew to join us?" Leo asks, as he does the dishes.

“Nah. It was the only one left for this rental company. We kind of got a late start on our Christmas plans, you know,” Jim replies smoothly. “Hey, Bones, great dinner. I’m really glad you’ve decided cooking isn’t such a bad chore.”

“Wasn’t much tonight. Tomorrow I’ll be more organized and have time to prepare things.”

“You can make beef stew any time. It was awesome.”

“It was easy. Hand me that pot and I’ll put it up in the cabinet.”

Jim throws down the dishtowel and hands Leo the pot. “Think I’ll build up the fire.”

He opens the door to a gust of cold air. “Wow!” Quickly, he loads firewood into his arm and shuts the door behind him. He dumps the wood in the holder beside the stove, then makes several more trips so that he builds up a neat pile. “There! Should hold us through the night.”

“Great.” Leo has already turned off the lights in the kitchen and made his way into the living room with a glass of bourbon. “Got you one of these, too.” He picks up a PADD and settles into the corner of a comfortable sofa.

Jim finishes loading the stove, adjusts the air intake, and then comes to sit opposite Leo with his PADD.

It’s a perfect winter’s evening.

*~*

 

Getting up at 6 a.m. for a good part of his life is a hard habit to break. As a young resident in surgery, Leo had had to get up even earlier. But once he’d settled into a position with Grady Memorial in Atlanta, he reverted back to getting up at 6 every morning, as he does every morning to prepare for his day on the _Enterprise_. Jim, though, is a natural night owl, and even though he can arise at six when and if he has to, he won’t do it if he doesn’t have to. So Leo leaves the still quietly snoring Jim in the very warm, inviting bed, and goes to the kitchen to make coffee and start the oven to make sweet rolls (already prepared; he’s a cook, not a baker), He wraps his robe a little tighter around himself, and goes out onto the porch to check the depth of the snow and to gather wood.

It’s fucking freezing and still dark. But the snow seems to have stopped because the sky is blazing with stars. He spends a few minutes taking it in, and then turns to pick up some wood.

As he does, he uncovers something that doesn’t look like wood, and then it moves. "Fuck!" he hisses, jumping back a little. It jumps down and in the light, Leo gets a good look at it—a raccoon.

It’s small-ish, probably a young adult. It rises on its hind legs and chitters at him. And then it looks at the open door.

Leo sees it thinking. “Oh, no, you do not!” He drops the wood, which land on his foot and he jumps. “Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! OW!

The raccoon, no fool he, sees his chance and scampers through the open door.

“OW! Goddammit!” Leo shouts. “JIM! WILD ANIMAL IN THE HOUSE!!!”

Leo limps into the cabin, leaning on the door for support. “JIM!”

“What?” Jim’s voice floats in from the bedroom. “What the hell are you—SHIT!”

Leo snorts. “Yeah, now you know.”

“Hey! Did you let a raccoon in the house?”

Leo rolls his eyes. “NO! I did not ‘let’ it in. It went in all by itself.”

Jim finally appears and closes the door behind him. “Well, at least it’s confined to the bedroom.”

“Yeah, good thing, Jim.”

Jim looks down and realizes he’s wearing boxers and nothing else. “Give me your robe.”

“Not a fucking chance in hell.”

*

“You want any thing else?” Leo asks, topping off Jim’s cup.

“No. God, no. Again, the rolls were great.”

Leo waves at him. “Just good ol’ Pillsbury in can.”

“Better than replicated.

“Amen to that.”

Jim’s wrapped in a blanket from off the bed in another bedroom. “Well, I think we’re ready to take care of our little invader. He’s probably calmed down enough.”

“Helps to have a phaser,” Leo observes drily.

“Yes, it does.”

Fortunately, Jim’s backpack had been in the kitchen; they’d decided to have breakfast first, and then, while the little bugger settled down, Jim’s idea, try to encourage it to leave with a minimum of fuss.

“If there’s raccoon shit in there, you’re cleaning it up,” Leo adds, getting up to take the plates over.

“Why do I have to clean up after it?”

“Your idea to allow it to ‘calm down’.”

“Well, going in after it, phasers blasting, just doesn’t seen right. The woods is his home after all; we’re the true invaders.” Jim leaves the blanket on the back of the sofa, turns the phaser on, setting it to ‘minimum’, and prepares to go in to do battle. “I just want you to remember, when I get this thing, I’m the conquering hero, and you need to reward me justly.”

“Oh, for the love of God. . .”

Jim grins. “My price is more coffee and a blow job.”

Leo glares at him.

“Wish me luck!” And he enters the bedroom.

A few minutes later, Jim emerges with the raccoon by the scruff. "Looking for this?"

"Jim, it could be rabid!"

 

“Nah! Well, it could be but let's just assume…ah, _she_ isn't. Cute, isn't she? Wanna keep her around? No? Ok, girlfriend. Time for you to go find your family.” Jim pads across the living room to the front door and deposits the raccoon on the porch; it scurries away.

Leo is back in the kitchen, putting on another pot of coffee. “What the hell are we doing here? We could be sunning ourselves in Bora Bora, watching half-naked women serve us tropical drinks with little umbrellas and getting smashed out of our gourds. Instead, we're up to our asses in snow and battling the local wildlife."

“Aw, Bones, how can you say that when you spent the night with a mostly naked me wrapped around your equally naked self. As I recall, you weren't complaining after your second orgasm.”

“Maybe not, but I’d think we’d be happier, and drunker, in Bora Bora.”

“Is it all about getting drunk, Bones?” Jim comes to sit down at the counter; he’s wrapped the blanket around himself again.

Leo is silent as he rinses the dishes. “Of course not.”

“Look, next vacation, you pick, all right?” Jim says. “I wanted to see snow and this was absolutely better than going back to Iowa where there’s just snow. At least, Bones, there’s a view.”

“There is that, but Jim, you’re all the view I need.”

Jim goes still, and then smiles. “You romantic old dog, you. I think I’m gonna cry.”

“No, you’re not.”

“You’re right.” Jim takes a sip of coffee. “But I am going to insist on that blow job.”

*~*

“Hey! Look what I found under the porch!” Jim’s standing in the doorway to the cabin, bundled up in so much LLBean gear it should keep the company going for another hundred years.

Leo looks up from the PADD he’s been reading, a badly written article on a complicated new neurological technique he’s been wondering about. “Hmm?”

“Come out here on the porch! I found some saucer sleds. This is great!”

Leo gets up and pulls on his coat that’s hanging on the hook behind the door. “A sled?”

“Yeah! There aren’t any hills in Riverside; well, except for man-made ones. We never got to use these babies before.” He holds up a brightly colored plastic sled.

Leo eyes it warily. “I dunno. Where are the brakes on that thing?

“Your feet—well, really, your heels.” Jim is pounding down the icy stairs with the sled. “There’s another here. Come sledding with me, Bones!”

Leo thinks this is a bad idea, but Jim looks so happy and hopeful that at this moment in time, he can’t deny him anything. Besides, the article has annoyed him. “Cool your nacelles, man. Let me find my boots.”

Leo pulls on thick socks and his waterproof hiking boots, wraps a scarf around his neck, pulls on gloves and a hat, and then zips up. “All this for a 2-minute ride on a sled,” he grumbles to himself.

“Come on, Bones!”

Leo stomps out of the cabin and down the stairs. “Coming! Jesus! You’re like a kid on a sugar high.”

“Great! Here, you can have the blue. I’ll take the neon pink.”

A few words of instruction and Jim has them sitting, side by side, on plastic in the snow. “So at the bottom of the hill, lean to your right and we’ll stay on the road and ride it all the way to where it joins with the main road. I’m sure the main road’s been scraped and sanded, so we’ll come to a dead-halt there.”

“You sure about that, farm boy?”

“It’s basic physics. Slippery object comes to a stop when things stop being slippery. Ready?”

“As I’ll ever—“ The sled slides sideways and Leo picks his feet up. “—BEEEE! JIIIIIIM!”

“Bones!”

Leo is spinning wildly down the snowy hill, trying to dig his heels into the grass or whatever is under the snow and ice. “Shit, shit, fuck!!” he yells. The only thing that happens is that the sled spins around again. He hits the road and tries to lean into it, but he spins again—and continues down the hill and into the woods. “BOOOOOOONES!” is the last thing he hears before he careens out of control and into a large pine tree.

He hits it with the bottom of the sled and his ass instead of his shoulder, or worse, his head. “OOF!” He spills off the sled and into a deep pile of snow where he lies still for a few seconds, doing a self-assessment of whatever inevitable injuries he may have sustained.

“BOOOONES!”

“SHIT! BOOONES?”

Leo struggles to sit up, having determined he does indeed have motor function in his lower extremities. “Over here!”

Through the tree trunks, he sees Jim sliding down the embankment. “Booones!” Jim cries. Then Jim executes a perfect stop with his boots, coming to a stand as he finds purchase in the snowy undergrowth. He takes off running, awkwardly, in the deep snow towards Leo, who remembers his hat is red.

“Oh fuck, Bones! You okay?” Jim’s voice is frantic. “Jesus, are you all right?” He runs up and grabs him by the shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just cold. And my ass hurts.”

Jim’s hands frame his face. “But nothing else? Head? Back? Chest?”

“All good.”

“Oh, thank god!” Jim crushes him to his chest. “I couldn’t believe it when your sled took off.” He hugs Leo closely again.

“Jim, I’m fine; just can you stop putting my face into the snow on your coat?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” Jim brushes his face off with gloved hands, then kisses him, hard and fast. “Can you stand?”

“Yeah.” Jim takes him by both forearms and pulls him up. “Gotcha.” Jim holds him for a few minutes.

Leo thinks he’s fine, a little shaky, and his ass is sore. Mostly, he’s cold because a generous amount of snow has snuck down the back of his jeans. “If it’s all the same, I think I’m done sledding for today.”

“You bet.” Jim grabs Leo’s sled, and they start making their way back up the long hill.

“So now the only question that remains,” Leo says, wiggling in his wet jeans and underwear, “is who owes whom a blow job?”

*~*

The next day dawns clear and sunny. The temperature struggles to get above freezing, but not by much. Despite the cold, the ice on the road that leads to the highway glistens and starts to thaw in the brilliant sunshine.

“How about we go into town for an early lunch?” Jim asks. They’ve returned from a short hike over the hill to view the stream below, and to take in the spectacular views from their higher vista. “We could also use some more lube.” He waggles his eyebrows.

“And more bourbon. Since tomorrow is Christmas, let’s see if we can find a goose or a turkey breast for dinner. We can eat leftovers until we leave.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

An hour later and with Jim behind the wheel of the truck, they’re off for their foray into the town of Whitefish.

Locating a grocery store isn’t difficult, and soon they’re arguing over peach or apple filling for a pie, the merits of turkey over ham, and why sweet potatoes are more nutritious than Idaho potatoes.

“But we’re like just over the border from Idaho. We should eat what the natives eat,” Jim says.

“Jim, there’s a giant pile of sweet potatoes right here. Pretty sure the natives will eat them, too.” Leo selects a couple of large ones and puts them into the basket. Jim, though, adds a few more. “What’re you doing? We’re gonna be swimming in sweet potato casserole with that many.”

“It’s okay. I like sweet potato casserole.”

Leo raises an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Then why did I have to justify them to you not more than a minute ago?”

Jim smiles and pats his cheek. “Just watching you get wound up.”

Leo snorts and turns away. “You’d think by now you’ve seen me wound up enough.”

“Never gets old.”

They wind their way through the store, which is full of shoppers, mostly parents with young children, purchasing similar dinner items. One family has a girl, maybe two years old, with dark hair up in pigtails that stick straight out. Leo remembers that look on Joanna at that age, and how absolutely adorable she was. A pang of emptiness hits him, wishing they’d been able to work out a visitation for Christmas. But he brightens when he remembers he’ll see her within a week, and he gives the girl a smile. He lingers in the wine section, reading about each one of the chardonnays before selecting two bottles when he realizes Jim is nowhere to be found. “Jim?”

Jim isn’t there, nor in the next aisle over with the beer, nor the one next to it. The store also has a goods section, so Leo makes his way out of the grocery area in search of his husband. He pushes the cart through the aisles, looking down some to see if he can spot Jim’s bright head. But so far, he’s embarrassed himself just once and did a few double-takes. Mostly, there were harried people buying last-minute gifts.

Frustrated, he pulls out his communicator and flips it open. “Jim, come in, Jim,” he says.

“I’m here!” Jim runs up, his cheeks pink and glowing from the cold. “Just had to run out to the truck.”

“What for?”

“Oh, I forgot something there, needed it. My credit chip!” Jim holds it up. “You ready to go?”

“I think so.” Leo looks over the basket again. “Yeah, I think we’re good.”

“Great.”

They walk through the Christmas section, with all the strings of bright lights and tinsel and glass ornaments. Jim slows to look at some of the items. “Hey, Bones. What do you think of these?”

He’s pointing at a row of wood shapes, tree ornaments in the shape of moose, bears and other woodland animals. One is a raccoon with “Montana” written across it. Leo looks at it and smiles. “My family used to purchase ornaments when we travelled.”

Jim beams. “Should we start a new tradition?”

“Sure. Let’s do that.”

Jim kisses him, then picks up the raccoon. “I liked our little visitor yesterday.”

“You liked cleaning up the little present she left for you?” Leo pushes the cart towards the front of the store to check out.

“Well, maybe not that, but just the fact she came into our house.”

Leo laughs. “Only you would find a wild animal who shit under the bed fun.”

*

The sun is starting to descend behind the mountains; the deep, dark shadows grow longer, and Leo goes around turning on lamps. Jim has been out back for a while, and then Leo hears a thumping on the door.

He opens it and finds Jim with a pine tree. “Merry Christmas, Bones!”

“What’s this?”

“It’s a _tree_ , Bones.”  
“Smart ass. Of course it’s a tree.” Leo shuts the door behind him. “What’s it doing in here?”

“Well, while you were napping after your sledding mishap shower yesterday, I went for a walk down the hill. And there beside the stream was this little tree. So I cut it down and hauled it up here.” Jim stands it up in front of the window. It’s in one of those stands made for Christmas trees. The tree is small, maybe five feet tall and not perfectly shaped, but it’s a nice one, and it smells good. “I had to snip some branches to shape it here and there, but overall it’s not a bad little tree.”

“Wow, Jim. It’s nice!”

“And, I got some lights and tinsel for it while we were at the store,” Jim says. He pulls a bag out from behind the sofa. “Now, look, I’m no expert at this, being Jewish and all. But I figure you know what to do with the lights and—“

Leo wraps his arms around him and kisses him. When the part, Leo presses his forehead to Jim’s. “Thanks. This is perfect.”

“You’re welcome.” Jim hands him a box with lights. “We never put up a tree when we’re on board, but I like them. Maybe we’ll have to find one of those small artificial ones and stash it away.”

“I’d rather any extra weight be taken up by bourbon,” Leo says, “but if you want. Maybe—maybe we can find a really small menorah, too.” He opens the box and pulls out the lights, unrolling them to put them on the tree.

He misses the huge smile on Jim’s face.

*

Jim is chopping onions as per Leo’s instructions to make a small amount of dressing to go with the turkey for tomorrow’s lunch. Leo is sautéing the celery and garlic with mushrooms, waiting for the onions. Music is playing on a PADD and they’re humming along when there’s a knock at the door.

Jim and Leo look at each other and shrug. Jim finds his phaser and hands it to Leo, making sure it’s on stun. He walks across the living room and opens the door.

“Hello, I’m Ranger Bill Sanders, District Enforcement Manager for Kootenai National Forest,” a tall, pleasant bearded man says. He’s wearing the khaki and green uniform of the International Parks Agency. “Do you happen to have a tree in your home?”

Hi, Jim Kirk,” Jim says. “Yeah, we do.”

“Well, sir. You are in violation of the law.”

“What?” Leo comes to stand beside Jim. “Jim, what did you do?”

“This tree was on park land and cutting it down is in violation of the conservation law. All our trees are tagged with a sensor that alert us when they’ve come down and GPS so we can locate it,” the ranger says. “It’s around the trunk.” He walks over to the brightly lit tree, reaches through the branches and shows them a small red button. “I’m sorry, but I must issue you a citation.”

“Oh damn, I’m really sorry,” Jim replies, his sincerity shining through. “I thought the land for the company we’re renting this cabin from extended down to the stream,” Jim says. “I’m aware of parks law, and I would never violate it.”

“I understand, sir, but we very protective of our trees up here. The area should have been designated with our blaze orange markers as international parks land.”

The ranger is polite but firm about the citation. “Perhaps you need to speak to your agent about being more precise in defining private and public property.” He transmits a document from his PADD to Jim’s account. “Starfleet, huh? We get a lot of fans of Starfleet down south of here, at the First Contact site.”

“I’m sure you do,” Jim says. “Again, Ranger Sanders, I am truly sorry for my actions.”

They all shake hands and see the ranger out. Jim and Leo watch from the porch as the man climbs into his service vehicle and pulls away. “Five hundred credits, Jim! That’s one fucking expensive tree we’ve got.”

“I feel really bad about it now, damn,” Jim says. “But ya know, it’s sort of worth it.”

“Spoken like a man who doesn’t have to pay child support,” Leo says as he stalks back into the cabin.

Jim watches the dark steal across the sky for a long time.

*

Late in the night, Leo takes Jim in his arms. “It’s totally worth five hundred credits,” he whispers. “Don’t think anything more of it.”

*~*

Early Christmas morning, Leo awakens to find Jim’s side of the bed empty and chilled. “Dammit,” he swears softly. He arises and wraps himself in his warm robe.

“Jim? You here?”

The tree is lit, and the fire is burning merrily in the stove. “Oh, hey, Bones,” Jim says, coming from down the hall. “Merry Christmas!” He hugs Leo and twirls him around, kissing him.

“Coffee’s on. Biscuits are in the oven. Just waiting for you to get up so I can cook eggs and bacon.”

“You gonna cook me breakfast, Captain?” Leo is delighted, but Jim’s culinary skills pretty much begin and end with scrambled eggs.

“Yes, indeedy.”

There are several gaily wrapped presents under their illegally-obtained tree, in addition to the ones he placed there before going to bed. He’s knows how much Jim loves to give gifts, and by and large, Jim is an awesome gift-giver. He puts much care and time into selecting anything he’s ever given Leo.

Leo walks into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and then realizes Jim has an enormous amount of food ready to be cooked. “Jim, you expecting an army for breakfast?”

There’s no reply. “Jim?”

He drinks his coffee and goes to look out the window. There, he hears voices coming up the trail—familiar voices.

Leo throws open the door to find his crew, his beloved _Enterprise_ family coming up the steps to the porch. “Nyota!”

“Merry Christmas, Leo!” Nyota Uhura says. She drops her bag and runs into his arms.

Leo buries his face in her hair and coat. “I’m so happy to see you! You were supposed to be on New Vulcan!”

“Indeed, Doctor, but Jim convinced us that spending this Earth holiday with you would be very. . .satisfactory.” Spock is loaded down with bags, but stops to pick up the ones Uhura has dropped.

“Here, let me help you,” Leo says. “Good to see you, too, Spock.”

Spock inclines his head.

Behind him, Pavel, Hikaru and Scotty come up the walk with bags. Chekov stops to throw a snowball at Scotty. “Aye, ye wee shit! Just you wait!”

Jim is carrying a box of bright packages and a bag of food. “Merry Christmas, Bones. Thought it would be nice to pull our family back together for the week. Joanna tried to get here, but couldn’t find a transport, so she’s still on schedule for my birthday.”

Leo is overcome with gratitude and emotion. Chekov plants kisses on his cheeks, Russian style, and embraces him. Scotty and Sulu slap his back, give him a double-awesome guy hug together. He follows them into the cabin, now alive with laughter and loud voices. He loves Jim with all his might, but these people, all of them and more, they are his _family_ , family of his heart and soul.

Jim meets him by the tree. “Merry Christmas, Bones.” He embraces Leo. “You were so down about all of us being scattered around. It gave me the idea to bring us together for today. Thank you.”

Leo hugs him hard then kisses him soundly. “It’s everything I’ll ever need. Love you, Jim.”

And Leo turns, leading Jim by the hand to the kitchen, where, surrounded by his family, laughing, he starts cooking.


End file.
